John 10:22-30

At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,  ²³ and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.  ²⁴ So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."  ²⁵ Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me,  ²⁶ but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.  ²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.  ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.  ³⁰ I and the Father are one."

The last couple of days I have had several conversations with different people that ended up being very similar.  These individuals have all been active in churches throughout their childhood and adult lives.  But it had been a while since they have been able to attend church.  They all shared feelings of doubt.  Doubt that they truly were saved and going to heaven.  We talked about salvation and I had them explain to me what that meant for them.  Every single one was on the right track and had at one time accepted Jesus as Lord, but now they were experiencing doubt.

I told each of them that if they truly believed everything they had just said, they had in fact accept Jesus as their personal Savior and were saved.  I shared today’s passage with them – that no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand…but we are able to walk away.  We have a daily choice to love God and serve Him or to walk away and love and serve ourselves.  It’s kind of like marriage – it’s a choice to stay together and a choice to love.  Things aren’t always great, birds aren’t always singing, there aren’t always fresh flowers on the table – sometimes we don’t feel that God is near and sometimes life is tough.  These are the times Satan tries to convince us that we don’t truly belong to God.

After providing assurance and encouragement, we talked about the possibility for them to attend church.  Being in a faith community allows us to be encouraged and supported on a regular basis.  We meet people who become friends and family who can encourage us when times are low and rejoice with us when times are good.  Not all the people I see are able to get out any more, some can barely comprehend any more, but those that can make it, I encourage them to find a way.  As long as we are still here on Earth, God has something for us to do. 

So – if you have accepted Jesus as Savior – you have admitted that you are a sinner, believed that Jesus died for your sins/on your behalf, and confessed that Jesus is Lord of your life – you are saved and no one or nothing can take that from you.   Unless you walk away.  And if you are concerned about your salvation, its sounds to me like you have not walked away.

Make sure to be involved with a faith community.  Not just attend, but truly get involved.  Get to know people, build relationships that provided encouragement and accountability.  We all need this!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy